Sandaa: As awkward as you might have felt from talking to some random kids' parents, the parents themselves didn't seem so bothered by it. With how boistrous they were, it was likely that they ran up and engaged interesting strangers all the time. The more one thinks about it, it's amazing they haven't been kidnapped or devoured by a Pokemon far less patient than Aero-- but nevermind. If the distant distractions of scuba diving and stranger danger had showed on his face, neither father was going to embarrass the visitor by mentioning it.

“Oh yeah? Sounds like you might have even got further ahead than me with all that adventuring,” Bill remarked with compliment in his tone. His daughter seemed to sour a little, as if she were upset at her father's modesty. She said nothing of it, though, eavesdropping while pretending to take interest in the ever-neglected Marill, “You'd have plenty of fun scuba diving around here. Could even give the professor a hand if you wanted to do some research yourself-- but he's not having much luck with his own equipment, honestly.”

Before one of the kids can open their gob and whinge for more violence in their lives, they might get what they wish for without siccing the store manager on you. Down the beach from whence you came was an outburst of screaming, and mixed within it was the urgent, panicked cry of a young Pokemon. Seconds later, throngs of people could be seen rushing in various directions, their property mostly abandoned on the sand. Both Bill and Dennis shot up, but the children were frozen in fear. Said emotion only grew stronger as a great, angry roar punctuated the coast. Bill looked ready to play rescuer, but what about you?

As he made his awkward introduction to the kids’ parents, a few of the father’s words echoed through Gary’s head. ”Scuba… research… fun…” he thought to himself, and the juxtaposition of words was not sarcastic either; his inner nerd was screaming with excitement as he was eager to pick the professor’s brain and explore the local wildlife in the process. ”Just play it cool, Gary,” he continued to think, not wanting to sound too eager in front of the adults. “I could take a look at the equipment if you need me too,” he offered as nonchalantly as possible. “I’ve had experience with handling scuba gear before…” The Gary inside his head did a quick fist pump for not screwing it up.

However, his attempt to endear himself to the marine biologist was cut short as an array of screams erupted from down the coast followed by the bellow of an angry Pokemon. As panicked beachgoers streamed across the sand, the switch in Gary’s brain instantly flipped from Water Pokemon Nerd to experienced Pokemon trainer. He bit his lip at the poor timing of the turn of events, but he had no time to lose. “I’ll be back!” he called out, taking off down the beach in the direction of the roar. If people were in trouble, Gary had to go check things out and see what he could do to help. He didn’t fancy himself a hero or anything that grand; he simply knew that if there was something he could do to help, he would do everything in his power to do so.

ooc: WHAT UP FIZZBY?! IT'S ME, YA GIRL, ALICE ROCKIN UP TO YOUR ISLES WITH SOME UPDOOTS. The faster you reply to my crazy caboose, the faster your adventure will go (just ask MM about Whale Island), so buckle the fuzzle up and get your posties in people, it's adventure time!

Median Dia: At your question, the twins exchange slightly unnerved looks. As different as they usually are, they display that eerie sibling connection people talk about, making similar sounds of discomfort before Simon speaks up first.

“Y- yeah. Kind of. It sounds like they're... Up to weird stuff. No good.” The boy adds, to your relief, because god forbid it's the alternative in the secret hideout of children. You came here to explore and chill, not walk in on that kind of trauma, “They sound older than us, too. Maybe we should tell an adult?”
“Then everyone will know where our base is!” Angelica seethed. Simon flinched. Celia didn't seem impressed, either. After all, it wasn't really a secret base, more a quiet spot of the island and one of many near the coursing river. Their lives weren't worth risking over something minute, but neither Simon nor Angelica seemed keen to retreat. Straining one's ears, there's definitely a cluster of voices ahead-- four, maybe five, mostly male and a mix of ages. A single feminine voice stands out as particularly menacing, and there's also an odd sort of squeaking. It sounds sentient and troubled, more like a tiny creature than an actual chew toy. However, for all you know, it might be one and the same by now. Childish doe eyes peered up at you with hope and expectation of solving their problems – and the problem of Living Chew Toy - for them.

So what do you do? You're not gonna leave these poor, hopeless kids to fend against their child-hating narrator alone, are you...?

Are you?

Ami's initial thought really wasn't related to the problem at hand, but rather, the twins' reactions to her questions. The sheer similarity between them was getting pretty eerie pretty quickly, and distracting to boot! She took a deep breath and focused on the processing information she had been given. "No-good weird stuff, huh? Hmm..." She shook her head at Simon's question. "If we did go and tell an older person, these guys could be gone by the time we get back. That doesn't seem like it would be too helpful..."

Listening to the offenders for herself helped spell out a bit more of the situation, though. "There's quite a few of them though..." she whispered, trying to way her options a bit. She wasn't sure if the kids had any pokemon with them, though the could be said of the unwanted guests... Judging from the sound of the chick's voice, however, it was a pretty safe bet that they did have a few, which meant attacking them head-on would be the worst idea possible. Speaking of pokemon, they sounded like they were messing with one in a mean-spirited way, marking another soul who's life was being trashed at the moment.

"...What a mess."

Thankfully, she had a way to distract the poketormenters without giving away their presence... hopefully. "Alright guys, I have an idea, but I'm going to need you guys to keep your opinions about my pokemon to yourselves until we're done, okay?" Sure, she didn't have much of a right to be ordering the three, but it was kind of important that they didn't gasp in awe upon seeing her dewpider at the moment. She let the young Bug Type out and knelt to his level. "Alright, Bell, can you do us a favor and send an irritating Infestation to the other side of these bushes, please? Oh, and try to only hit humans with it if you can, okay?"

Missingno. Master: Despite the fact you can't swim (get on that Keith, it's a key life skill), you have at least two more solutions to your woes: A Tentacruel and Dragalge, which match your poison master aesthetic. Beneath the water, Jack flails helplessly, trying to reach the surface but caught in the turbulence as the Wishiwashi flood in here and there. Apparently the newcomers had rattled the chaotic school, who had started wailing for reinforcements from throughout the lake. Neville, Pisces and Aquarius could all see other Pokemon watching on from the distance, seeming caught between staring at the fight, or moving closer and lower to the mayhem...

“We want more! We want more food!” One of the Wishiwashi practically yelled at the dragon, if Wishiwashi could yell. If the peacekeeper really paid attention, they might see that there was something off about the way it moved. It seemed to shake, its eyes wide (as wide as those droopy lids could manage). Maybe it was sleepless, ravenous, or both? Either way, it was swept up in the current madness. Speaking of sweeping up, Aquarius' barrier had helped the boat's wear and tear considerably, even if the assailants didn't look remotely deterred. The dual type set Jack back down on deck, but one appendage still held the man's waist with enough firmness that the fisherman wouldn't go over again.

“K- Keith!” The older man coughed, hacked and spluttered, doubling over in his efforts. Jack inhaled greedily for oxygen, forced to get himself together before he could continue, “In the lake— on the bottom of the lake, I saw--” Another pause, and a forcible rattle of the boat, “The lures. Those boys must have dropped or abandoned the lures in the lake, I think that and the noise must've upset the Wishiwashi. There was more down there, too.” He panted. “We have to-- please, we have to try and clean up the lake, it might calm the fish down!”

The rattling on the boat was reducing steadily, but that wasn't necessarily a good sign. Beneath the surface, although a dragon pulse and scald had finished off two of the weaker Wishiwashi, some of the new gatherers had come together. In a flash of light and mighty splash came a giant, united Wishiwashi, and it looked hungrily... At all four of you. What now?

-

Sandaa: You manage to keep your scuba-research wota side in check, and even keep the fist bump internal, too. Nice! As it is, the call to battle has distracted you, and off you go. “Stay here,” Bill added to the three children, who watch on as their brave father/uncle follows dutifully after you down the beach. Whatever has gone on there has near enough cleared the place, except for some dumb overlookers with recording devices out. The two of you find a Feraligatr by water line, flanked by Croconaw, and all three look ready to do some damage to a poor, cowering Phanpy.

“We have to do something. You ready for this?” The trainer asked, withdrawing a Poke Ball and Net Ball. Through the translucent shells, and spouting from separate beams of light, Azu and a Treecko appeared onto the sand. Both look battle ready, but are most likely disappointed to have their respite interrupted. In the distance, the Ferligatr eyed you dangerously, as if daring either human or their 'pets' to interrupt whatever was going on, and the Phanpy whimpered as the water nicked at its tough feet. As if ordering goons, the two Croconaw advanced.

“I'll handle these guys. You go and rescue that Phanpy.” Bill urged, eyes serious. What do you do?

-

Medlan Dia: You made a point that if you abandon the situation to get rescue now, whoever these hooligans might be will be gone by the time you return. Of course, there were four of you, so you probably could have sent the more fearful of your group to grab assistance while you and potentially one other remained, but that'd be too easily and possibly put the kids in less danger. Can't have that.

Instead, you make an updater proud. Not only is your move thoroughly unexpected and terrifying – that's a creepy crawly, watery death dealer of a Dewipider right there – but it's effective. An infestation of bizarre bugs materialise at the bug's whim, buzzing in a swarm into the brush. What followed was a good mixture of high, appropriately squeaky screaming at a volume high enough to send birds up into the sky. The three children made awed noises as they watched the roosters scatter off into all directions-- much like most of the teenagers did on foot. Most.

“What the hell was that?! Come at me-- I dare you!” The girl's voice roared. She sounded frustrated, and when another squeak sounded, she swore with enough bile to make the children flinch. “I'm sorry, Cara, I'll get you out-- damnit, what do I do...?”
The trio exchanged confused looks, and Celia returns her gaze to you.
“I think she might actually be in trouble... Maybe we should go help...?”

Or you could hunt down the fleeing kids, blind them and push them off a cliff. Take your pick.

Missingno. Master: Despite the fact you can't swim (get on that Keith, it's a key life skill), you have at least two more solutions to your woes: A Tentacruel and Dragalge, which match your poison master aesthetic. Beneath the water, Jack flails helplessly, trying to reach the surface but caught in the turbulence as the Wishiwashi flood in here and there. Apparently the newcomers had rattled the chaotic school, who had started wailing for reinforcements from throughout the lake. Neville, Pisces and Aquarius could all see other Pokemon watching on from the distance, seeming caught between staring at the fight, or moving closer and lower to the mayhem...

“We want more! We want more food!” One of the Wishiwashi practically yelled at the dragon, if Wishiwashi could yell. If the peacekeeper really paid attention, they might see that there was something off about the way it moved. It seemed to shake, its eyes wide (as wide as those droopy lids could manage). Maybe it was sleepless, ravenous, or both? Either way, it was swept up in the current madness. Speaking of sweeping up, Aquarius' barrier had helped the boat's wear and tear considerably, even if the assailants didn't look remotely deterred. The dual type set Jack back down on deck, but one appendage still held the man's waist with enough firmness that the fisherman wouldn't go over again.

“K- Keith!” The older man coughed, hacked and spluttered, doubling over in his efforts. Jack inhaled greedily for oxygen, forced to get himself together before he could continue, “In the lake— on the bottom of the lake, I saw--” Another pause, and a forcible rattle of the boat, “The lures. Those boys must have dropped or abandoned the lures in the lake, I think that and the noise must've upset the Wishiwashi. There was more down there, too.” He panted. “We have to-- please, we have to try and clean up the lake, it might calm the fish down!”

The rattling on the boat was reducing steadily, but that wasn't necessarily a good sign. Beneath the surface, although a dragon pulse and scald had finished off two of the weaker Wishiwashi, some of the new gatherers had come together. In a flash of light and mighty splash came a giant, united Wishiwashi, and it looked hungrily... At all four of you. What now?

Neville's attempts at peacefully resolving the situation seemed to be fizzling out miserably. One of the Wishiwashi wailed something about wanting more food, but seemed relentless in its attack on the boat. Indeed, Neville realized, something didn't seem right about how the Wishiwashi was moving. It looked somewhere between sleep-deprived and ravenously hungry. And more to the point, it looked as though nonviolent solutions were out of the question...

Aquarius was able to fish Jack out of the water without problems, and her Reflect was helping keep things together. Keith listened as the fishing expert, between bouts of spitting out lake water and catching his breath, explained that he saw the missing lures at the bottom of the lake, and he speculated that between those and the noise the unseen fishermen were making, all of this must have been riling up the Wishiwashi. "The what?" Keith murmured- he'd never heard of a Wishiwashi before this, but he did understand, quite clearly, what Jack was asking of him after this. "Right," he nodded. "We'll do our best to clean it up, won't we?" he said, addressing his Pokémon.

"M-M-Mareanie," Aster nodded, shakily yet resolutely.

"Tentacruuuuel," agreed Aquarius.

At this, the assault on the boat wore down, but before Keith could breathe a sigh of relief, there came horrifyingly incontrovertible evidence that that was definitely not a good sign. What appeared to be a massive fish emerged from the lake. It almost looked as though it was made up of millions of tiny fish. "AAAAAGH!" screamed Meowth. "Wh- wh- wat is DAT?!" Keith, no longer needing to try and reel something in at this point, pointed his Pokédex at the calamitous collective.

"Wishiwashi- School Form- the Small Fry Pokémon. A Water-type," said the Pokédex. "In Solo Form, Wishiwashi is considered the weakest of all Pokémon, but it is widely feared- when in danger, it summons other Wishiwashi, and together they form the immensely powerful School Form. Even Gyarados flee from these terrifying creatures."

"Well, that bodes well!" Keith remarked sarcastically as Neville and Pisces emerged from underwater, both of them looking ready to take on this frightening fishy formation. "Geez... How are we supposed to clean up the lake if this thing looks about ready to eat us all?! We'll have to battle it!"

Meowth looked at Keith incredulously. "Yer insane!" he exclaimed. "Take on a monster like dat?!"

"Hey, we took on that giant Heatran and came out on top," argued Keith. "Besides, you got a better idea?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do," Meowth responded. "Neville's sayin' dey looked like dey wanna sleep, so I say we help 'em out wit dat."

"How- oh. OH!" Keith grinned, getting what Meowth was going for here. "Alright, then, Meowth- give your Hypnosis a shot! Neville, be ready with Protect just in case, though," he called to his Dragalge. "Aquarius, extend the Reflect to cover us as well as the boat, then Dive down and see if you can't clean up those lures from the bottom! And Pisces, don't attack just yet, but if you need to, get in the first strike with Aqua Jet! But only if you need to, OK?" Keith's Pokémon nodded at this- Aster included. Keith hadn't given her orders, but seeing her teammates ready for action seemed to be bolstering her confidence somewhat. She was ready to spring into action and use her Wide Guard should it prove necessary.

__________________

My Shiny Pokémon (not up for trade, I don't do requests for Shiny banners or recolored Pokken artwork). FB team banners like the one above, however, those I do requests for.

Medlan Dia: You made a point that if you abandon the situation to get rescue now, whoever these hooligans might be will be gone by the time you return. Of course, there were four of you, so you probably could have sent the more fearful of your group to grab assistance while you and potentially one other remained, but that'd be too easily and possibly put the kids in less danger. Can't have that.

Instead, you make an updater proud. Not only is your move thoroughly unexpected and terrifying – that's a creepy crawly, watery death dealer of a Dewipider right there – but it's effective. An infestation of bizarre bugs materialise at the bug's whim, buzzing in a swarm into the brush. What followed was a good mixture of high, appropriately squeaky screaming at a volume high enough to send birds up into the sky. The three children made awed noises as they watched the roosters scatter off into all directions-- much like most of the teenagers did on foot. Most.

“What the hell was that?! Come at me-- I dare you!” The girl's voice roared. She sounded frustrated, and when another squeak sounded, she swore with enough bile to make the children flinch. “I'm sorry, Cara, I'll get you out-- damnit, what do I do...?”
The trio exchanged confused looks, and Celia returns her gaze to you.
“I think she might actually be in trouble... Maybe we should go help...?”

Or you could hunt down the fleeing kids, blind them and push them off a cliff. Take your pick.

Just as expected, there was an immediate burst of auditory chaos as Bell's little trick started up, the slight buzzing giving way for loud shrieks from child and bird pokemon alike. Heck, the guys were even running off in random directions like staravia with their heads chopped off, as if doing so would do them any good. It wouldn't, of course, because the move stays around for about five rounds' worth of time... though that only served to make the scene funnier for those people who knew that already!

Ami couldn't help but give a satisfied chuckle while the cacophony was still around to drown it out, but... the swarm hadn't cleared everyone away. The cross-sounding lady was evidently still around and make herself sound even harsher than before, with a slew of curses that thankfully didn't have any actual power. Talk about unpleasant!

Of course, whatever pokemon the group had been messing with was still around and squeaking up a storm, despite not being infested itself (hopefully). The angry lady's words spelled things out even more- they may have made a mistake. Well, it did sound like kids were causing trouble earlier, so it's still possible that she did a good job, but... Ms. Angryface's reaction kinda suggested otherwise. Ami decided to tell herself that the boys were being hooligans and leave it at that.

"Did you guys have anything over there that could've trapped something?" Ami asked, trying to get a better idea of what was actually going on in her head. If they answered 'no', then the culprits were easy enough to deduce and already dispatched, and they could try and help her without any guilt. If they answered 'yes', however... Well, something like this was certainly bound to happen at some point, perhaps sans the massive swarm of insects. If they answered 'yes', however, then the possibility that the boys were helping out and this whole group had played a role in making this woman and her pokemon's lives miserable. Either way, they should probably try to help the pair with their problem. Bell, the dear little thing, picked up on his trainer's conflictedness and gave her a comforting, yet quiet, squeak of his own.

But hey, her victims were likely to run themselves into the deadly coursing river in a vain attempt to get rid of the bugs. That was something, right?

Sandaa: You manage to keep your scuba-research wota side in check, and even keep the fist bump internal, too. Nice! As it is, the call to battle has distracted you, and off you go. “Stay here,” Bill added to the three children, who watch on as their brave father/uncle follows dutifully after you down the beach. Whatever has gone on there has near enough cleared the place, except for some dumb overlookers with recording devices out. The two of you find a Feraligatr by water line, flanked by Croconaw, and all three look ready to do some damage to a poor, cowering Phanpy.

“We have to do something. You ready for this?” The trainer asked, withdrawing a Poke Ball and Net Ball. Through the translucent shells, and spouting from separate beams of light, Azu and a Treecko appeared onto the sand. Both look battle ready, but are most likely disappointed to have their respite interrupted. In the distance, the Ferligatr eyed you dangerously, as if daring either human or their 'pets' to interrupt whatever was going on, and the Phanpy whimpered as the water nicked at its tough feet. As if ordering goons, the two Croconaw advanced.

“I'll handle these guys. You go and rescue that Phanpy.” Bill urged, eyes serious. What do you do?

As he dashed down the beach, sand flying with each step, Gary was joined by Bill to go investigate the source of the commotion. Upon arriving at the epicenter of the uproar, Gary spotted a trio of reptilian creatures that were acting quite aggressive and territorial on the beach. Gary identified the aggressors quickly; it was a Pokemon he knew well from his homeland of Johto. “Feraligatr… and a pair of Croconaw…” he mumbled, looking over to identify their prey. As he looked over as the small, cowering, leathery bundle, Gary’s heart sank. It was a young Phanpy, a Pokemon species he had a soft spot for. “Oh no!” he exclaimed, wracking his brain for the best way to intervene and rescue the poor elephant. While he understood and appreciated the circle of life and the gruesome qualities of nature, his heart could not stand by and let the food chain play itself out today.

Before he could utter a word, Bill had sent out a pair of Pokemon, indicating that he would hold off the two Croconaws. Gary quickly nodded and stared down the Feraligatr, who stared right back with a dangerous look in its eyes. For now, the greatest priority would be getting Phanpy out of harm’s way and away to a safer distance. After that, he would need to hold off the hungry alligators and force them to stand down. “C’mon out, Terra!” Gary called out, hurling a Pokeball. In a brief flash of light, a Grotle appeared before him as the terrapin placed himself between the Feraligatr and its prey.

“Terra, trap the Feraligatr with a Sand Tomb! While it’s distracted, set up a Stealth Rock to surround it!” As Terra nodded and dug his feet into the sand below, Gary was really counting on the terrain to work in Terra’s benefit. He then dashed over to a couple of feet away from the Phanpy and knelt down into the sand. Holding out his arms, he called over to it, “Come here little guy, I’ve got you! We’ll protect you, don’t worry!”

134: Uhane dutifully takes to the skies, her wings struggling to gain lift. She finds enough of it to hover over the canopy above. The green seems to stretch on for quite a while - while the Mints are generally small islands, there’s more than enough space for anything at all to live on them. At first, your shining Rowlet doesn’t notice much: just light greens, dark greens, blue- wait, that’s just Kai - medium greens, maybe some mint greens, grey, maybe some more dark greens. Wait, grey?

You hear a squawk from above as Uhane drops back down. She takes a moment to try her best to convey the information to you - smoke, somewhere further onwards. It’s apparently not too far. The bird points out the direction to you, so you understand the rough idea at least. There’s some sort of civilization up ahead. Although, who knows how friendly they could really be? They’re alone out here for some reason, apparently… Your mind isn’t allowed to wander for long, as something immediately catches your attention.

After Uhane is done explaining herself, you, looking directly at her, hear something that sounds just like it should be coming from her beak. But nothing has moved. A squawking noise that rose above the other gentle hums of the jungle. Definitely Rowlet sounding, your Bird Keeper ears tell you, but Uhane sure didn’t make it. Uhane looks around, turning the full 360 degrees, and neither of you can spot anything in the dense jungle that would make it seem right. Another squawk - definitely from the same direction as where Uhane directed you. With all sorts of information presented (some clearer than others, certainly), what will you do?

Tate watched in awe as Uhane took flight above them. It was a sight having been seen dozens, maybe hundreds of times before, but it was nonetheless inspiring to watch her touch the sky. Grounded, the bird keeper could only imagine what she was seeing; what she was feeling...

Until she plummeted to the earth with an unceremonious screech. Tate recoiled on pure instinct as the seafoam green bird dropped like a stone, but had enough sense to extend an arm for the Rowlet to perch on, sharp talons pricking delicate, lightly tanned flesh as she gripped a freckled forearm. Tate made a mental note to invest in a falconer's glove. How did the bird keeper live this long without owning a falconer's glove?! Uhane was making a racket from her position on her trainer's limb. Tate focused.

Uhane didn't speak the human tongue; very few Pokémon did. Her trainer didn't speak the language of Pokémon; how man humans did? Nevertheless, she endeavored to explain what she had seen in the sky above. She shook out her feathers, puffing them up; Tate just stared. She chirped and warked and barked and cooed. Tate stared more. She looked to Kai for help, and the Vaporeon belched up a mouthful of steam in an attempt to approximate smoke, herself having clearly understood what Uhane was trying to say -- Tate grimaced, clueless but disturbed. Finally, Uhane grew fed up and fluttered from her trainer's arm, lunging with both talons open towards Tate's belt.

Tate screamed as Uhane grabbed hold of one of the Luxury balls clipped to the braided leather strap, and after a bit of wrestling between the two, the bird prevailed, yanking it free. She flew away a few feet and dropped it to the ground, where it bounced a couple of times before striking the button and releasing the Pokémon inside: a Houndoom. Pouli looked around, a bit confused to find herself in a forest, only to be all the more bewildered by a Rowelet aggressively shoving herself in her face. Uhane's beak clattered as she chattered away at Pouli, who recoiled slightly from the frustrated bird, but nonetheless listened. After a few moments and several confirming nods, she turned to her trainer, and opened her mouth, ejecting a thick ball of Smog. Tate coughed, and fanned the smoke away, but dawning finally settled on the Johto native's features.

"Oh-...Ohhhh," Tate hummed, as Uhane fluttered up with an expectant look on her face. "You saw smoke. Which way?"

Uhane made a gesture in the general direction, fluttering a few feet one way before looping back towards her trainer. Tate nodded, and looked to Pouli and Kai, a strange eagerness flashing behind corrective lenses. An adventure -- the unknown! This is what they had come here for. Tate grinned, almost maniacally. Uhane landed on her trainer's shoulder, and was perhaps poised to issue a complaint, but never got the chance, though that isn't to say a Rowlet wasn't heard -- the very familiar coo of the Grass Quill species echoed through the wood, and from the direction which Uhane had indicated the smoke originating, no less. The group fell silent, listening for the call, and when it echoed again, Tate grew absolutely electric with excitement. The Pokémon knew what was coming before it even happened, and a moment later Tate broke out into a run, bolting towards the sound. With little recourse but to follow, Kai and Pouli took off after their trainer, while Uhane took flight, just over the shoulder of the bird keeper.

Missingno. Master: The Pokemon world was massive, and even in most frightening times was it fascinating. After all your time as a trainer, there are still new species to discover, and it appears the Wishiwashi was one of them in both of its forms. As it is, you were clearly an expert at handling things under pressure, because you got your Pokemon together expertly well. Meowth's hypnosis made its mark, and that bought you some time, but once reflect wore off, the boat would probably be back to shaking you off... And the School would awaken eventually.

Aquarius dove down, leaving his friends to aid you. Down and down he went, Jack sat shakily behind you and was praying for the best. Aquarius descended to the very bottom of the lake, searching eyes having found a whole lot of swiped lures, as well as some abandoned alcohol bottles and what seemed to be wrappers or packets of some kind. Whatever made the lures so alluring to begin with had probably driven Wishiwashi mad lingering around like that, and with traces of alcohol and food and noisy litterers... Well. No wonder they'd lost their minds.

The male scooped up as many lures as he could, but it wasn't like his tentacles were really the best appendages for the job. Some fumbled or slipped from grip, and between that and the sheer amount of mess to clear, the dual type would have to make multiple trips. Returning slowly so as to lose less, Aquarius dumped some of the stuff on the small deck of the boat-- just in time to see Wishiwashi wake up. Maybe it wasn't tired, but something had affected it to make it look that way? Still, Meowth's hypnosis wasn't going to be as effective here, and once the creature remembered itself, it looked tearful. Jack felt his combative spirit lower, as did Aster and Neville – but not Pisces, who'd been craving a fight since this mess started. She didn't fall for it. Which was good, because the Wishiwashi went straight in for a take down. What do you do?

-

Medlan Dia: The twins were laughing along with the dramatic reactions of the runaways, but once they were done, Simon in particular was staring at the Dewpider. They'd never seen one before, and couldn't help but notice how weird looking it was, and in fact was a bit creepy what with its thin limbs and the bubbly sphere and all. The boy crouched down, although still kept his distance. You asked the kids a question, and Celia and Angelica both looked at each other. “No, we didn't. Simon? Simon!” The sibling was given a good kick.
“Ah! What? What?”
“Ami asked if put any traps down! Did you?”
“No!” Simon got up, brushing himself off with a scowl at the other. “Pokemon would get hurt, and if anyone found it we'd be called poachers!”
“You don't need to shout. It was a good question to ask.” Celia pointed out, although the raised voice wasn't even aimed at Ami. It was more of leftover temper because of enduring another blow. “I'm going to get a bit closer. You shouting probably gave us away anyway.”

With a sigh, the girl – still obviously wary – dared to creep closer. She hadn't gotten far before calling you all to join her, moving forward. The angry girl, a teenager a bit older than you at best, was stood in the middle of the clearing with two Pokemon. One was a Beautifly that looked like it was really suffering, and the other was a rather angry looking Clauncher, that snapped its spare claw and narrowed its eyes at you. The suffering bug was trapped in the alternate grip, one beautiful wing clamped in and bleeding.

“Who're you? Did you send those bugs out here?” The girl asked apprehensively. She looked pretty tough, wearing loose black shorts and a red plaid bikini, hair partially shaved in one side with a bright ponytail that had somehow been pinned to come forward.
“Y- yeah. We thought you might have been bad guys, or something. There's a lot of them around recently.” Simon mumbled. The girl was miffed, dagger eyes falling onto Bell, but they soon softened with defeat.
“-- It's fine. Those idiots weren't being much help, anyway.” The girl reflected, “This Clauncher managed to get hold of this Beautifly, and it's not letting go. I don't know what to do, her wing's seriously damaged, and I don't have my Pokemon with me. If this keeps on, this Beautifly is... Well.” Going to lose a wing, probably. What do you do?

-

Sandaa: Your feelings towards the cowering Phanpy meant that today, love must prevail, even if it's at the loss of natural order. In all fairness, as Bill and Dennis would likely agree, it would be best to put these rampaging creatures in check before they started going through abandoned property for food or decided to take the leg off any appetising tourists, so it's all probably good in the hood.

Bill starts things off for his opponents, ordering Toma the Treecko to use agility, giving the already swift Pokemon an edge over the stomping water-types. Azu uses helping hand to support a draining move for her ally, and then sets to rolling along the beach, sand flying up, causing more mess for those whose things have been left behind, but also serving to lower the accuracy of irate enemies. It's apparent even at this early stage that the children had been right: Bill was a tough trainer, one whose talents on the battlefield had not waned in retirement-- and if they had, well shit, he never should have given up his gym run to become a store manager.

Meanwhile, you make your own assault. The Feraligatr is trapped in a sand tomb, painful stones set down to pain the beast further when he finally broke free. It roared its displeasure, eyes narrowed, but you ignore that for the moment. Phanpy wasn't sure where to look until you approached, however, he looks glad that you did. With a few sniffles and a cry, it darts sideways a little, as if remembering how to avoid the rolling water that kept adding to his discomfort. He comes towards you, running to stop a bit behind you rather than into your arms, and his brown eyes set upon the Feraligatr again. Said Feraligatr was tired of your shit, Sherlock.

Raging over a victim potentially lost, the Pokemon's teeth light up a white blue, and it bites down on the rock formation; claws also coming down with force. It appeared to be using ice fang, the element coursing through the weak points of the tomb, water pouring from the beast's gullet to further weaken the tomb. The structure soon breaks apart, and the monster roars yet again, tripping over the stones as he tried to come for you. Lulz. As it is, you've got the region's angriest (and clumsiest) predator on your hands, and it's now storming towards Terra with surprising speed, scary face frightening your turtle boi. What do?

Missingno. Master: The Pokemon world was massive, and even in most frightening times was it fascinating. After all your time as a trainer, there are still new species to discover, and it appears the Wishiwashi was one of them in both of its forms. As it is, you were clearly an expert at handling things under pressure, because you got your Pokemon together expertly well. Meowth's hypnosis made its mark, and that bought you some time, but once reflect wore off, the boat would probably be back to shaking you off... And the School would awaken eventually.

Aquarius dove down, leaving his friends to aid you. Down and down he went, Jack sat shakily behind you and was praying for the best. Aquarius descended to the very bottom of the lake, searching eyes having found a whole lot of swiped lures, as well as some abandoned alcohol bottles and what seemed to be wrappers or packets of some kind. Whatever made the lures so alluring to begin with had probably driven Wishiwashi mad lingering around like that, and with traces of alcohol and food and noisy litterers... Well. No wonder they'd lost their minds.

The male scooped up as many lures as he could, but it wasn't like his tentacles were really the best appendages for the job. Some fumbled or slipped from grip, and between that and the sheer amount of mess to clear, the dual type would have to make multiple trips. Returning slowly so as to lose less, Aquarius dumped some of the stuff on the small deck of the boat-- just in time to see Wishiwashi wake up. Maybe it wasn't tired, but something had affected it to make it look that way? Still, Meowth's hypnosis wasn't going to be as effective here, and once the creature remembered itself, it looked tearful. Jack felt his combative spirit lower, as did Aster and Neville – but not Pisces, who'd been craving a fight since this mess started. She didn't fall for it. Which was good, because the Wishiwashi went straight in for a take down. What do you do?

Meowth was able to buy some time by lulling the school to sleep, and Aquarius made her way down to the bottom of the lake to fetch the lures. And while she was down there, she learned just how maddening it really was down there, between the lures and the litter, and the traces of booze, and the food, and all the noise, noise, noise, noise- no wonder the Wishiwashi were going nuts! The female Tentacruel scooped up as many lures as she could- Tentacruel tentacles weren't exactly the ideal tool for such a task, and even with eighty of them at her disposal, the cleanup would require multiple trips.

"...Oh, crap," Keith groaned, for just as Aquarius returned with her first load of lures, Wishiwashi woke up. And the lake was nowhere near clean enough to calm them down! Knowing they were hungry didn't help much- the entire contents of Keith's Berry Bag was unlikely to be enough to satisfy the whole school! Were they really tired, or did they simply look that way for some reason? Keith couldn't fathom what this could be, so he didn't really try- he stayed more focused on the minor detail that this beast was attacking them- first with a rather Tearful Look that appeared to soothe the combative spirits of Aster and Neville. Which wasn't exactly helpful, considering this was looking more and more inevitably like a battle. Though Keith couldn't help but recognize that that move might be something good to use against this thing- making it less combative could only be a good thing, he reasoned.

"Bascu! Basculin!!!"

Keith blinked. Pisces was unaffected by the Tearful Look. Wishiwashi might have a massive size advantage, but Keith had confidence in his Basculin. And right now, with Aster and Neville weakened by Tearful Look, Aquarius going back down to retrieve more lures, and Wishiwashi coming in for the Take Down, Keith knew he had to have confidence in his Basculin. Which he did. Pisces, he knew, was tough.

"It's all you, Pisces, so let's do this!" Keith exclaimed. "Rage attack, let's go! Once that's powered you up some, go right into a Waterfall attack, and follow up with Aqua Tail!"

__________________

My Shiny Pokémon (not up for trade, I don't do requests for Shiny banners or recolored Pokken artwork). FB team banners like the one above, however, those I do requests for.

Sandaa: Your feelings towards the cowering Phanpy meant that today, love must prevail, even if it's at the loss of natural order. In all fairness, as Bill and Dennis would likely agree, it would be best to put these rampaging creatures in check before they started going through abandoned property for food or decided to take the leg off any appetising tourists, so it's all probably good in the hood.

Bill starts things off for his opponents, ordering Toma the Treecko to use agility, giving the already swift Pokemon an edge over the stomping water-types. Azu uses helping hand to support a draining move for her ally, and then sets to rolling along the beach, sand flying up, causing more mess for those whose things have been left behind, but also serving to lower the accuracy of irate enemies. It's apparent even at this early stage that the children had been right: Bill was a tough trainer, one whose talents on the battlefield had not waned in retirement-- and if they had, well shit, he never should have given up his gym run to become a store manager.

Meanwhile, you make your own assault. The Feraligatr is trapped in a sand tomb, painful stones set down to pain the beast further when he finally broke free. It roared its displeasure, eyes narrowed, but you ignore that for the moment. Phanpy wasn't sure where to look until you approached, however, he looks glad that you did. With a few sniffles and a cry, it darts sideways a little, as if remembering how to avoid the rolling water that kept adding to his discomfort. He comes towards you, running to stop a bit behind you rather than into your arms, and his brown eyes set upon the Feraligatr again. Said Feraligatr was tired of your shit, Sherlock.

Raging over a victim potentially lost, the Pokemon's teeth light up a white blue, and it bites down on the rock formation; claws also coming down with force. It appeared to be using ice fang, the element coursing through the weak points of the tomb, water pouring from the beast's gullet to further weaken the tomb. The structure soon breaks apart, and the monster roars yet again, tripping over the stones as he tried to come for you. Lulz. As it is, you've got the region's angriest (and clumsiest) predator on your hands, and it's now storming towards Terra with surprising speed, scary face frightening your turtle boi. What do?

After watching the scared Phanpy run behind him to use him as a human shield instead of running into his open arms, Gary smiled and let out an amused sigh. He knew that trust with a wild Pokemon wouldn’t be that easy to win over, and this was a good enough start. He resolved to protect this terrified elephant with everything that he had, planting himself firmly in the sand to act as a barrier between Phanpy and the ravenous Feraligatr.

Gary watched as Terra in turn acted as his own shield, standing between the trainer and the predator. The Grotle’s attempt at stalling Feraligatr by trapping it in a tomb of sand and rocks seemed successful at first, but the gigantic blue alligator wouldn’t be hindered that easily as it took its lumps and charged forward, fangs bared. Its teeth had an icy sheen to them, alerting Gary to the fact that this next attack would be one that Terra would not enjoy. He figured that either evasive maneuvers would be in order or the terrapin would need to stand his ground and brace for a painful impact.

Unfortunately for Terra, he was not the most agile of reptiles, and the Feraligatr’s Scary Face seemed to lock the Grotle’s legs in place with its piercing glare. For now, there would be no alternative. “Alright Terra, you can do this!” Gary called out, hoping to encourage his Pokemon. “Slow its charge down with a Razor Leaf and then brace for impact with a Curse! Once it’s within range, sap some of its health with a Mega Drain!”

Medlan Dia: The twins were laughing along with the dramatic reactions of the runaways, but once they were done, Simon in particular was staring at the Dewpider. They'd never seen one before, and couldn't help but notice how weird looking it was, and in fact was a bit creepy what with its thin limbs and the bubbly sphere and all. The boy crouched down, although still kept his distance. You asked the kids a question, and Celia and Angelica both looked at each other. “No, we didn't. Simon? Simon!” The sibling was given a good kick.
“Ah! What? What?”
“Ami asked if put any traps down! Did you?”
“No!” Simon got up, brushing himself off with a scowl at the other. “Pokemon would get hurt, and if anyone found it we'd be called poachers!”
“You don't need to shout. It was a good question to ask.” Celia pointed out, although the raised voice wasn't even aimed at Ami. It was more of leftover temper because of enduring another blow. “I'm going to get a bit closer. You shouting probably gave us away anyway.”

With a sigh, the girl – still obviously wary – dared to creep closer. She hadn't gotten far before calling you all to join her, moving forward. The angry girl, a teenager a bit older than you at best, was stood in the middle of the clearing with two Pokemon. One was a Beautifly that looked like it was really suffering, and the other was a rather angry looking Clauncher, that snapped its spare claw and narrowed its eyes at you. The suffering bug was trapped in the alternate grip, one beautiful wing clamped in and bleeding.

“Who're you? Did you send those bugs out here?” The girl asked apprehensively. She looked pretty tough, wearing loose black shorts and a red plaid bikini, hair partially shaved in one side with a bright ponytail that had somehow been pinned to come forward.
“Y- yeah. We thought you might have been bad guys, or something. There's a lot of them around recently.” Simon mumbled. The girl was miffed, dagger eyes falling onto Bell, but they soon softened with defeat.
“-- It's fine. Those idiots weren't being much help, anyway.” The girl reflected, “This Clauncher managed to get hold of this Beautifly, and it's not letting go. I don't know what to do, her wing's seriously damaged, and I don't have my Pokemon with me. If this keeps on, this Beautifly is... Well.” Going to lose a wing, probably. What do you do?

Bell did notice the stare he was getting, but was a little preoccupied with trying to figure out why the other humans were laughing like there was no tomorrow. He squeaked in surprise when Angelica called her brother out, however, which probably ruined how said brother viewed him a bit. Not his greatest moment, to be sure...

"Alright, alright, calm down!" Ami commanded as the twins' bickering reached a very audible level. The dewpider was taken aback- he had never heard the girl be so assertive before. "We're not the ones who caused this problem, so it's pretty likely that we just solved an annoying extra layer." She nodded to the third girl, who declared that she'd be moving ahead. "Be careful."

Bell climbed onto his trainer's shoulder just as Celia motioned her to follow, which forced him to duck under a branch. Didn't think that through, apparently. The clearly unamused human on the other side was giving him the stink-eye, though, so he guessed that he didn't do a perfect job after all. The little spider drooped a little upon coming to this conclusion.

"Well, this definitely does not look like a good situation," Ami admitted as she pulled out her (borrowed) pokedex and scanned the angry sea critter.

"Clauncher, the Water Gun Pokemon," the device droned for all to hear. "Through controlled explosions of internal gas, it can expel water like a pistol shot. At close distances, it can shatter rock."

"Oh, dear. That was unhelpful and kinda terrifying." The trainer signaled for Bell to climb off of her as she traded the pokedex for another pokeball. "I've got an idea, though. Please help us out, Nadie!"

One burst of white light later, and there was a woobat hovering not too far away, already squeaking to get a feel for his surroundings. "Alright, I need you to use Telekinesis to open up the claw this guy has on the Bug. And I need you-" She turned to Bell as she spoke. "-to create a Bubble in said claw once Nadie pries it open a little." Bell nodded and skittered into position, occasionally glancing at the angry lobster nervously.

Was it a potentially flawed plan? Yeah, sure, there's that. But it was the best they had at the moment that wasn't guaranteed to tear an entire wing section off of the Butterfly Pokemon. That would've been counterproductive!

Missingno. Master: Aquarius had a lot of arms, but part of the issue was obviously holding onto whatever they fetched-- and the fact that the boat, honestly, wasn't big enough for everything it would bring back if it tried to clean up more than the lures. “We might need to evacuate the boat. Could Aquarius carry us on her back?” Jack asked over the furore of conflict, “At this rate it might be safer than the boat, we could have my wife's Croconaw bring the boat back later or yours tow it back once this is ended!” He was naturally being optimistic, which was understandable. Sure, he was old and getting on, but nobody wanted to meet an end by drowning or devouring of all fates.

Your strategy was dangerous, but necessary. Without Aster and Meowth so willing to help out, the Basculin was left to take on the sea demon solo, and she was undoubtedly weaker than any Gyarados-- a species known for fleeing these enemies on sight. The force of the take down does have a draw, and the school of Wishiwashi flinch in perfect sync at the damage they take. Pisces was flung some distance overhead, splashing into the water. Jack called out to her, panicked for your Pokemon, but rage has a side effect, and this predator had been raging long before you demanded she be.

Like a smaller, aquatic Hulk, Pisces surges through the water with speed and determination, any injury not having seemed to phase her. As if she, too, were a demon, the lake seems to rise up beneath her like a waterfall, gradually rising up to push the Wishiwashi upwards and crash down; buffing it back. Then, another strike with a severe aqua tail. Water moves obviously didn't do much in the grand scheme of things, but bolstered by Pisces' rage, it had to be dealing some pain. That was the problem, though. In response, Wishiwashi encased itself in a ring of aqua, restoring lost health a little at a time, and then hit Pisces with a perfectly accurate feint attack with one of its massive fins. Something had to give. Pisces couldn't do this alone. You needed your other Pokemon to get it together, or for Aquarius to hurry up, or something. What would you do?

-

Sandaa: Resolving to gain the Phanpy's trust through defending his life, you also make sure to defend Terra's. Your own strategising wasn't to be outdone by Bill's, whose Pokemon were handling the Croconaw duo exceptionally well. Naturally for a Grotle, Terra was going nowhere fast, but speed was sacrificed for strength and shielding-- Feraligatr was slowed by the barrage of knife-like leaves, and even when it finally got to your poor grass type, the ice fang's effectiveness wasn't as much as it should have been. That didn't even matter. The mega drain enveloped Feraligatr in a shocking green light, the Pokemon crying out in horror as its energy was drained. It was as if Terra had barely felt a thing.

The oversized challenger was, naturally, more upset by this development, and with even more rage, brings itself down to bite at the terrapin. While jaws were down on Terra, Feraligatr struck up close with a powerful water gun. Really, that might have been more like watering Terra's little trees, but between three attacks in turn, Terra still looked quite uncomfortable despite being a tank of a Grotle. Phanpy looked on, shaking still and worried for your ally. What do you do?

-

Medlan Dia: Bell had been trying to put on a tough front, which diminished more and more by the minute. At least part of that was because you were surprisingly assertive, which can't be a bad thing for any trainer or accidental babysitter! In the clearing, you realise a bad situation has brewed, and Dewpider felt guilty, although they don't necessarily need to. Chances are if it wasn't the infestation hurting the children, the rowdy boys might have been on the ground with shattered ribs because of the Clauncher.

A flawed plan, perhaps, but the strategy was enough to impress the narrator and the worried character, who watched on in awe. A glow of psychic surrounds the surprised crab, whose claw is forced open. The Beautifly wails as the pressure lifts, trying helplessly to move free, and the tough-looking girl moves forward to pull the bug away. Celia does the same, shifting the creature with ease. The telekinesis prevented Clauncher from powering a water gun right away, but unfortunately for everyone, it also has two arms. Fancy that. Beautifly must have been envious-- too soon? “Look out!” Angelica shouted out, seeing the light gather in one claw. There was a puff of air and suddenly, bam! Clauncher struck Nadie with a water gun, which forced the Woobat's hold over it to cease. Two claws freed, and Clauncher hosed the arena-- and its inhabitants-- with a water sport, before giving the aerial animal a glower and a bubble attack to eat.

“I'm-- I'm going to get Beautifly to a Pokemon Centre. If any of my friends come back, let them know, yeah?” The girl said. She went to leave, and then stopped short, digging into her pockets. Haphazardly, she plucked a Dive Ball from her pocket and a few notes, shoving them into Celia's hands, telling her to pass them on to you before jetting off. The girl was off, an echo of a 'thank you!' audible as adrenaline carried her away. It looked like your imitative reaped rewards, but this Clauncher was still here, ready to get Nadie or anything else possible in its vice grip. Vote abandon, or fight to the end?

Sandaa: Resolving to gain the Phanpy's trust through defending his life, you also make sure to defend Terra's. Your own strategising wasn't to be outdone by Bill's, whose Pokemon were handling the Croconaw duo exceptionally well. Naturally for a Grotle, Terra was going nowhere fast, but speed was sacrificed for strength and shielding-- Feraligatr was slowed by the barrage of knife-like leaves, and even when it finally got to your poor grass type, the ice fang's effectiveness wasn't as much as it should have been. That didn't even matter. The mega drain enveloped Feraligatr in a shocking green light, the Pokemon crying out in horror as its energy was drained. It was as if Terra had barely felt a thing.

The oversized challenger was, naturally, more upset by this development, and with even more rage, brings itself down to bite at the terrapin. While jaws were down on Terra, Feraligatr struck up close with a powerful water gun. Really, that might have been more like watering Terra's little trees, but between three attacks in turn, Terra still looked quite uncomfortable despite being a tank of a Grotle. Phanpy looked on, shaking still and worried for your ally. What do you do?

Gary watched helplessly as his Grotle took an onslaught of attacks from the angry Feraligatr. Being a mere human, there was little he could do to ease his Pokemon’s pain other than to use his intelligence to position Terra in a more favorable situation. However, ultimately in the end being up close and personal against this behemoth of an opponent was right where Terra needed to be. It was a double edged sword; in order for Terra to be most effective in battle, he would need to be in the place where he would be in range of Feraligatr’s deadliest attacks. Such was the role of the tank.

“You’re doing great, Terra!” Gary called out to his Pokemon, who was busy shaking off the excess water from Feraligatr’s latest attack. Believe it or not, Terra was faring much better than Gary could possibly imagine, in his opinion. Terra might be the smaller of the two combatants, but the type advantage was on his side, something Gary hoped to continue to make use of. “Okay Terra, let’s keep it up! Don’t let it retreat by forming a wall with Sand Tomb so it has to stay within your range! Follow it up with another Mega Drain and then when it’s least expecting it, blast it with a Seed Bomb!”

Terra nodded slowly as he took in Gary’s strategy while bracing himself for another hard-fought round of battle. Gary continued to keep his focus on the battle at hand, but every now and then he would glance back to check and make sure the Phanpy was still going okay. “Don’t worry little guy, we’ve got this!” he said, trying to offer reassurance.

Medlan Dia: Bell had been trying to put on a tough front, which diminished more and more by the minute. At least part of that was because you were surprisingly assertive, which can't be a bad thing for any trainer or accidental babysitter! In the clearing, you realise a bad situation has brewed, and Dewpider felt guilty, although they don't necessarily need to. Chances are if it wasn't the infestation hurting the children, the rowdy boys might have been on the ground with shattered ribs because of the Clauncher.

A flawed plan, perhaps, but the strategy was enough to impress the narrator and the worried character, who watched on in awe. A glow of psychic surrounds the surprised crab, whose claw is forced open. The Beautifly wails as the pressure lifts, trying helplessly to move free, and the tough-looking girl moves forward to pull the bug away. Celia does the same, shifting the creature with ease. The telekinesis prevented Clauncher from powering a water gun right away, but unfortunately for everyone, it also has two arms. Fancy that. Beautifly must have been envious-- too soon? “Look out!” Angelica shouted out, seeing the light gather in one claw. There was a puff of air and suddenly, bam! Clauncher struck Nadie with a water gun, which forced the Woobat's hold over it to cease. Two claws freed, and Clauncher hosed the arena-- and its inhabitants-- with a water sport, before giving the aerial animal a glower and a bubble attack to eat.

“I'm-- I'm going to get Beautifly to a Pokemon Centre. If any of my friends come back, let them know, yeah?” The girl said. She went to leave, and then stopped short, digging into her pockets. Haphazardly, she plucked a Dive Ball from her pocket and a few notes, shoving them into Celia's hands, telling her to pass them on to you before jetting off. The girl was off, an echo of a 'thank you!' audible as adrenaline carried her away. It looked like your imitative reaped rewards, but this Clauncher was still here, ready to get Nadie or anything else possible in its vice grip. Vote abandon, or fight to the end?

Well, the rescue operation was a success. The beautifly was freed from the painful clutches of the angry crustacean and on its way to the Pokemon Center, which was a really nice thing to have happen right now. But... everyone was wet now. Like, really wet. If someone were stupid enough to use a Fire move right now, it would almost fizzle out to nothing, that's how wet everyone was! Good thing none of Ami's pokemon even knew any Fire typed attacks in the first place!

While the clauncher was busy making the first move every wild pokemon with one of the Sports makes despite it rarely being useful for them to do so, Ami was coming up with a battle strategy. Sure, she could just take the blue orb and hightail it out of there now, but that would mean that this dumb lobster would still be around to wreak havoc against even more of the native wildlife! She had to neutralize it for the time being, and had a fairly good idea how.

"Alright, you three, you should go and take cover," she recommended, being sure to look at least a little bit determined. "Bell, try to blind it by shooting it with an Aurora Beam in the face. Nadie, take that moment to swoop in and wear'em down with Super Fang, then fire a point-blank Gust at it as you move back away! And, of course, let's do the thing we didn't before: Bell, hit this pokemon up with another Infestation!"

This was bound to cause it some serious hurt, and trap it into the fight to boot. That's almost a win-win situation!

Sandaa: You called out to your Pokemon, the pride in his performance easily conveying through your voice. It seemed to resonate with Phanpy, whose gaze drifted between the two of you in awe-- and all of a sudden, he is trumpeting his support, too. Terra seemed to notice this, glancing back at the both of you even as the Feraligator changes tack from water gun to ice fang again. Your mega drain was well timed.

Once again, the Grotle recovers some from the hits he endured, and he shoves the still-raging Feraligatr back. That only bolsters its attack power, but before the opponent can do more, it's sealed in another sand tomb and taking a seed bomb to the face. Oh, boy. You began to panic as the bigger Pokemon was once again freed from his tomb, faster this time, as a result of your own move weakening the structure and its enhanced strength. Close enough to cause some real trouble, Feraligatr reacts with an angered and audible crunch on the tank. Terra cried out, but is undeterred. In fact, he is so determined to win that he begins to shine. The Feraligatr is blinded and forcibly dislodged from its prey, and behind you you here some youthful amazement-- the three children have been stood behind the entire time, watching the battles going on before them. Terra grew greater in size, and when the light died down, his little growths had flourished into full trees, shell wider and trimmed in white. He was a terror alright-- a Torterra! No, I'm not leaving, you get out.

“Wow! Cool! He evolved!” The single boy exclaimed, to which one of the girls answered 'duh'. Feraligatr looked a bit intimidated, but it's too late to back out now, especially as Bill had already felled one of the Croconaw. It was a matter of pride. Feraligatr leered, and in its desperation, flailed. That was going to hurt, but you've got this. What next?

-

Medlan Dia: You bask in the glory of a rescue well-executed and rewarded, and also muse about the fact that you're drenched. The kids don't seem too fussed by it, being kids, although if one had to be singled out then Angelica looked more miffed than the rest. Simon was most reluctant to take cover, but the girls hassled him, and they hid off to the side behind some trees and bushes to keep a decent view but out of attention as well. You had an audience, so best not screw up.

And screw up you did not-- but I bet you worried for a second you had. Not all of the barrage worked, but enough did to cause issues for the Clauncher. It deflected the aurora beam with its biggest pincer, which still hurt a little bit, and served as a distraction for the super fang and gust. Naturally, it retaliated with a powerful, double-dose of water gun at Nadie, but with its health fairly weakened and an infestation now catching the small being's attention, it was unable to run and obviously had a scattered mind. Lubing up the arena didn't ease getting ganged up on, apparently.

Sandaa: You called out to your Pokemon, the pride in his performance easily conveying through your voice. It seemed to resonate with Phanpy, whose gaze drifted between the two of you in awe-- and all of a sudden, he is trumpeting his support, too. Terra seemed to notice this, glancing back at the both of you even as the Feraligator changes tack from water gun to ice fang again. Your mega drain was well timed.

Once again, the Grotle recovers some from the hits he endured, and he shoves the still-raging Feraligatr back. That only bolsters its attack power, but before the opponent can do more, it's sealed in another sand tomb and taking a seed bomb to the face. Oh, boy. You began to panic as the bigger Pokemon was once again freed from his tomb, faster this time, as a result of your own move weakening the structure and its enhanced strength. Close enough to cause some real trouble, Feraligatr reacts with an angered and audible crunch on the tank. Terra cried out, but is undeterred. In fact, he is so determined to win that he begins to shine. The Feraligatr is blinded and forcibly dislodged from its prey, and behind you you here some youthful amazement-- the three children have been stood behind the entire time, watching the battles going on before them. Terra grew greater in size, and when the light died down, his little growths had flourished into full trees, shell wider and trimmed in white. He was a terror alright-- a Torterra! No, I'm not leaving, you get out.

“Wow! Cool! He evolved!” The single boy exclaimed, to which one of the girls answered 'duh'. Feraligatr looked a bit intimidated, but it's too late to back out now, especially as Bill had already felled one of the Croconaw. It was a matter of pride. Feraligatr leered, and in its desperation, flailed. That was going to hurt, but you've got this. What next?

While he continued to cheer on his tough turtle, Gary couldn’t help but wonder how many more hits Terra could take from this aggressive opponent. However, he didn’t want to shed any doubts on his Pokemon’s confidence, so he continued to cheer him on. Much to Gary’s surprise the timid Phanpy behind him let loose a trumpet to offer its support to Terra as well. As the Feraligatr looked as nasty as ever, it lunched lunged forward and chomped its massive jaws down on Terra’s hard shell.

That’s when something miraculous happened. Gary couldn’t believe his eyes as Terra began to glow a bright white before his body began to expand bigger and bigger to the point that Feraligatr could no longer hold his shell in its mouth and was forced to take a step back. Terra’s legs became stout, like tree trunks, while his head became armored. Three impressive spikes grew from one side of his shell, while on the other half, the sapling of a mighty oak tree sprouted. The sapling grew taller and wider at an incredible rate, branches shooting out in all directions and quickly coated in leaves.

As the glowing finally ceased, a brand new Pokemon stood before Gary. “I can’t believe it!” Gary exclaimed, nearly forgetting the direness of the situation and running up to inspect his gigantic turtle. “That’s amazing! Congratulations, Terra!” Terra smiled and swayed back and forth, shaking the leaves on his mighty tree. The Feraligatr bellowed, ready to launch a desperation attack to turn the tides back in its favor. Snapping out of his awe, Gary turned his focus back to the battle at hand. “Why don’t we try out one of your new techniques, Terra? But first, we’re going to need to make sure you have plenty of health! Hit it with a pair of back to back Mega Drains and then really let it have it with a Wood Hammer!” Unable to wipe the grin off his face, Gary was determined to see Terra’s newfound powers in action.

Sandaa: It was a total surprise, one that had not been hinted or planned at all, for Terra to arrive at his final form. Super cool, so cool that your typo was very appropriate, because if you were even slightly more unlucky or the narrator felt daring and sadistic enough, that Feraligatr would have you and Phanpy for starters-- even if Terra would probably kill it in the process. Worth it for the revenge. Unfortunately this gig comes with rules, so this is one adventure you might actually live through. Miraculous.

Terra is delighted and maybe even a little bashful at your fuss, and although he can't see it, the three kids are just as excited for him. You know for a fact that one of those children will at least pretend to ride his ass, while another will most certainly pet him and say how good and strong he is-- especially after witnessing this performance. “That's one strong and healthy Torterra,” Bill admired as the final Croconaw took a slew of attacks from his own team members, looking near-ready to drop, “Congratulations, Gary and Terra. Let's finish this off, shall we?”

You do so, with the repetition one person totally didn't ask for, and something not-shiny but new. The mega drain seeps into the seething, wild-eyed water-type yet again, holding it hostage for longer. Terra looked the picture of health, as a branch from one of his trees extended and transformed, then came down on the brute like an actual wooden hammer. It was probably overkill, but every spectator took relief and satisfaction in the Feraligatr being downed, and after the whole mess, Terra had gained three levels to show for his efforts.

“Well, that's a relief...” Bill sighed out, taking a moment to scold the children for not staying back as he had commanded before. He withdrew a Net Ball, tossing it at one of the Croconaw to capture for his own, and then another-- presumably for Dennis, who had waited behind. “I'll have the Feraligatr moved, I think, some distance from the beach. Nobody wants another round of this,” He gestured to the almost empty beach, but there were people who had been watching and were now cheering and clapping for you and Terra. Bless. “What will you do now?”

Sandaa: It was a total surprise, one that had not been hinted or planned at all, for Terra to arrive at his final form. Super cool, so cool that your typo was very appropriate, because if you were even slightly more unlucky or the narrator felt daring and sadistic enough, that Feraligatr would have you and Phanpy for starters-- even if Terra would probably kill it in the process. Worth it for the revenge. Unfortunately this gig comes with rules, so this is one adventure you might actually live through. Miraculous.

Terra is delighted and maybe even a little bashful at your fuss, and although he can't see it, the three kids are just as excited for him. You know for a fact that one of those children will at least pretend to ride his ass, while another will most certainly pet him and say how good and strong he is-- especially after witnessing this performance. “That's one strong and healthy Torterra,” Bill admired as the final Croconaw took a slew of attacks from his own team members, looking near-ready to drop, “Congratulations, Gary and Terra. Let's finish this off, shall we?”

You do so, with the repetition one person totally didn't ask for, and something not-shiny but new. The mega drain seeps into the seething, wild-eyed water-type yet again, holding it hostage for longer. Terra looked the picture of health, as a branch from one of his trees extended and transformed, then came down on the brute like an actual wooden hammer. It was probably overkill, but every spectator took relief and satisfaction in the Feraligatr being downed, and after the whole mess, Terra had gained three levels to show for his efforts.

“Well, that's a relief...” Bill sighed out, taking a moment to scold the children for not staying back as he had commanded before. He withdrew a Net Ball, tossing it at one of the Croconaw to capture for his own, and then another-- presumably for Dennis, who had waited behind. “I'll have the Feraligatr moved, I think, some distance from the beach. Nobody wants another round of this,” He gestured to the almost empty beach, but there were people who had been watching and were now cheering and clapping for you and Terra. Bless. “What will you do now?”

Gary pumped his fist for real this time as Terra knocked Feraligatr over the head with a powerful wooden branch from his tree and the gigantic alligator finally went down. “That was amazing! Great work Terra!” he called out, running over to pat his Torterra on the head. Lost in the excitement of the moment, Gary found himself climbing up on Terra’s shell, inspecting the impressive biology and symbiosis of reptile and tree. Terra let out a triumphant sigh, and toting his trainer on his back like Gary weighed no more than a paper weight, turned around to approach the Phanpy.

Snapping out of his revelry, Gary quickly grabbed onto a branch and swinging on it like a monkey bar, leapt off of the turtle’s back and onto the sand below. “Phanpy! You’re safe now!” Gary exclaimed, happy, but trying to not be too zealous and scare it off. He watched as Bill collected the pair of Croconaws to join his and his brother’s collections before turning back to face Phanpy. “Where did you come from anyway?” Gary asked, scratching his head, “You seem like you’re a far way away from home…”

It was no secret that Gary had longed to have a Phanpy of his very own. All you had to do was check his memakyu. However, he didn’t want to pressure such a life changing decision onto the young elephant, opting to give it the option to choose its fate instead. “If you’ve got nowhere to go, you’re welcome to join us on our journey! I’ve got a lot of Pokemon you can make friends with too!”

Sandaa: Bill and the children laughed and clapped as you nosed around and swung about your new Torterra's back. “I want a go!” Marissa complained, and Josie rolled her eyes.
“Me, too, or just... To pet him. The grass seems soft. He needs pets for a job well done.” Joe mumbled, possibly affected by a mixture of shock and amazement for everything he had witnessed. His innocent and much calmer hopes had Josie's expression softening, and the three quietened to see how the Phanpy would react.

It looked like your energy really had, literally, put him on the back foot, but he hadn't fled yet. The quivering elephant looked at all of the people, and saw Azu and Toma nodding in agreement besides Bill, seeming to encourage him. Regardless, he was still unsure. “Well, it is a big decision.” The other trainer had to say, to ease the tension, “Why don't you take the Feraligatr while it's still knocked out somewhere down the coast or off the beach while the kids and I let everyone know it's safe to come back? It'll give you both time to calm down and to get to know each other, and if Phanpy wants to go he can just run off. We'll meet you back where you found us, yeah?” The other man offered. The elephant was still hesitant, but didn't seem to be rejecting the proposal. What do you do?

Sandaa: Bill and the children laughed and clapped as you nosed around and swung about your new Torterra's back. “I want a go!” Marissa complained, and Josie rolled her eyes.
“Me, too, or just... To pet him. The grass seems soft. He needs pets for a job well done.” Joe mumbled, possibly affected by a mixture of shock and amazement for everything he had witnessed. His innocent and much calmer hopes had Josie's expression softening, and the three quietened to see how the Phanpy would react.

It looked like your energy really had, literally, put him on the back foot, but he hadn't fled yet. The quivering elephant looked at all of the people, and saw Azu and Toma nodding in agreement besides Bill, seeming to encourage him. Regardless, he was still unsure. “Well, it is a big decision.” The other trainer had to say, to ease the tension, “Why don't you take the Feraligatr while it's still knocked out somewhere down the coast or off the beach while the kids and I let everyone know it's safe to come back? It'll give you both time to calm down and to get to know each other, and if Phanpy wants to go he can just run off. We'll meet you back where you found us, yeah?” The other man offered. The elephant was still hesitant, but didn't seem to be rejecting the proposal. What do you do?

As Gary expected, the Phanpy was still pretty hesitant about joining his team right away. It was a lot to take in during such a short period of time, so Gary understood why it was still acting skittish. To break the tension, Bill suggested Gary give it some time to make its decision while he go relocate the unconscious Feraligatr further down the coast to another part of the beach. “Sure, I don’t see why not,” Gary replied, ever eager to be of help. In the meantime, it would give him more chances to further explore the area, something he had intended to do from the start.

“You did plenty enough for now Terra, why don’t you stay here and rest? Maybe you can give Phanpy some company if it wants any, and in the very least you can give the children a ride on your back.” Turning to face Bill, Gary had an alternate plan in mind of how to move the Feraligatr out of here. According to his Pokedex, the big alligator weighed nearly 200 lbs, something far too heavy to be dragging across the sand; he would have much better luck taking it through the water where it would be weightless.

Pulling out a Pokeball, Gary gave it a quick toss to reveal yet another giant turtle. It was Raphael the Blastoise, formerly of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Squirtles gang. Raphael looked over at Terra, his friend and teammate appearing much larger than he had remembered. Gary turned to face Bill and asked, “Do you have any rope we could use? If we tie it to the Feraligatr, Raphael can drag it through the water no problem!”

Sandaa: It appeared that you had gone full turtle, which if Tropic Thunder taught anyone anything, one never goes full turtle. Before that, though, the children were delighted to have been permitted a ride on the Torterra, and the two girls and boy rushed forward to clamber haplessly onto his back. The Pokemon was tired, so to now be punished with excitable children was rude, but it wasn't like they could do much damage. If anything, they were more likely to hurt themselves by climbing and falling or losing their balance. The two girls, Melissa especially, were all over the place; but Joe had simply sat down a little ways from Terra's head to test the grass with brushes of his hand and - as he had said - tell the Pokemon what a good and strong boy he was. Adorable.

“Well, thank you, Gary. We'll make sure Terra's all healed up and rested by the time you get back.” He said. Your suggestion was sound, and Blastoise impressive, but Bill had to give the inquiry some thought, “Rope, huh? Hmm. If you go up the beach a little bit, the shack might have some rope for you, or by the docks. Otherwise you could ask around. It looks like some people are coming back already.” It also looked like some were only returning to collect their things, wary that the Feraligatr was still lying on the beach. It would eventually recover, after all, still hungry and with wounded pride. That was a recipe for disaster even if it was nursing wounds, especially if it woke up without its Croconaw goons. Your plan is sound and approved, but missing a key item. What do you do?

Sandaa: It appeared that you had gone full turtle, which if Tropic Thunder taught anyone anything, one never goes full turtle. Before that, though, the children were delighted to have been permitted a ride on the Torterra, and the two girls and boy rushed forward to clamber haplessly onto his back. The Pokemon was tired, so to now be punished with excitable children was rude, but it wasn't like they could do much damage. If anything, they were more likely to hurt themselves by climbing and falling or losing their balance. The two girls, Melissa especially, were all over the place; but Joe had simply sat down a little ways from Terra's head to test the grass with brushes of his hand and - as he had said - tell the Pokemon what a good and strong boy he was. Adorable.

“Well, thank you, Gary. We'll make sure Terra's all healed up and rested by the time you get back.” He said. Your suggestion was sound, and Blastoise impressive, but Bill had to give the inquiry some thought, “Rope, huh? Hmm. If you go up the beach a little bit, the shack might have some rope for you, or by the docks. Otherwise you could ask around. It looks like some people are coming back already.” It also looked like some were only returning to collect their things, wary that the Feraligatr was still lying on the beach. It would eventually recover, after all, still hungry and with wounded pride. That was a recipe for disaster even if it was nursing wounds, especially if it woke up without its Croconaw goons. Your plan is sound and approved, but missing a key item. What do you do?

Terra was pretty tired, so he planted his heavy body down in the sand while he let his legs rest. While he wasn’t crazy about children climbing all over his shell, as Gary predicted, he couldn’t help but smugly accept the children’s praise over his impressive victory. Meanwhile, Gary was getting the rundown from Bill. According to Bill, there was a shack not too far away where he might be able to find the rope that he needed to secure the sleeping Feraligatr. Other than that, Gary might be lucky to find a beachgoer nearby who had what he was looking for.

For now, time was of the essence, as who knew how much longer the sleeping Feraligatr might lay dormant. Keeping a close eye on it, Gary turned to face Raphael. “Hey Raph, I’m going to go look for some rope. While I’m gone, would you keep an eye on this big guy? If it wakes up, you know what to do.” The Blastoise smiled and nodded, crossing his arms. Being a bit of a bruiser on Gary’s team, Raphael had no qualms with putting down an already worn out Feraligatr. Especially with the knowledge of its current history as a beach bully.

Now that he was ready to tie up loose ends, Gary started making his way down the beach in the direction of the shack. “Hey, do you have any rope I could borrow?” he asked of a few people on the beach as he walked. He had planned to keep asking anyone he saw until he eventually made it to his destination. The sooner he got the Feraligatr out of there, the better.

Sandaa: Wow, jerk. The word planted has the narrator triggered, their sleep-deprived brain wandering off to Incognito Isle, leaving your adventure to rot and die for another thousand years... You feel triggered in response, which is exactly what the writer was going for. On a less meta plane, Terra's awkwardness of having his back repurposed into a playground was eased by the swelling of pride and smugness at being praised, and the children all laugh when he sinks into the sand. Joe seemed practically mesmerised. One day, he'd definitely like a good boy Torterra and Mantine, too. Was Blastoise also a good boy?

The Phanpy seemed tempted to join them. They were having a lot of fun! However, Raphael – looking very much the coolest bouncer on the beach right now – gave a gentle grunt and indication of his head, and the Phanpy squeaked and followed after you. He seemed a bit more at your heel at this point, closing the distance previously put between you, keeping an eye out for rope as well. Many of the people you tried to speak to were in the midst of packing their things, distracted, but some still praised you and thanked you and 'your friend' for a job well done. Bill was still in sight, keeping an eye on the rambuncious kids rather than the Feraligatr, although obviously glances were made. Finally, though, one of the people you asked for had a positive answer.

“Rope? Oh, yeah, I got some. I've got a little boat down the way, and I always keep some spare rope and stuff just incase.” The young woman said. She had on a colourful beach cover, partially sheer and revealing a complimenting bikini underneath. Standing up, the brunette brushed the sand off her and grabbed her sandals, “Help me carry that cool box there, I might as well head back now, and we'll see about that rope.” She began to pack her things. Phanpy made a small, delighted sound and looked up at you. It seemed he was happy for your success!

Sandaa: Wow, jerk. The word planted has the narrator triggered, their sleep-deprived brain wandering off to Incognito Isle, leaving your adventure to rot and die for another thousand years... You feel triggered in response, which is exactly what the writer was going for. On a less meta plane, Terra's awkwardness of having his back repurposed into a playground was eased by the swelling of pride and smugness at being praised, and the children all laugh when he sinks into the sand. Joe seemed practically mesmerised. One day, he'd definitely like a good boy Torterra and Mantine, too. Was Blastoise also a good boy?

The Phanpy seemed tempted to join them. They were having a lot of fun! However, Raphael – looking very much the coolest bouncer on the beach right now – gave a gentle grunt and indication of his head, and the Phanpy squeaked and followed after you. He seemed a bit more at your heel at this point, closing the distance previously put between you, keeping an eye out for rope as well. Many of the people you tried to speak to were in the midst of packing their things, distracted, but some still praised you and thanked you and 'your friend' for a job well done. Bill was still in sight, keeping an eye on the rambuncious kids rather than the Feraligatr, although obviously glances were made. Finally, though, one of the people you asked for had a positive answer.

“Rope? Oh, yeah, I got some. I've got a little boat down the way, and I always keep some spare rope and stuff just incase.” The young woman said. She had on a colourful beach cover, partially sheer and revealing a complimenting bikini underneath. Standing up, the brunette brushed the sand off her and grabbed her sandals, “Help me carry that cool box there, I might as well head back now, and we'll see about that rope.” She began to pack her things. Phanpy made a small, delighted sound and looked up at you. It seemed he was happy for your success!

As Gary made his way down the beach, he was promptly joined by the rescued Phanpy. As it would seem, it wasn’t fully comfortable around gigantic turtles yet, or at least Raphael’s entrance was more turtle than it could handle. I guess it might not have been best to go full turtle. In any case, Phanpy was now at Gary’s side, so he was glad that he had chosen to go full turtle after all; the opportunity to bond with the wild Pokemon a little had now presented itself.

While Gary and Phanpy stopped every so often to ask beachgoers if they had any leads towards their goal, but to no avail. It wasn’t until they approached a brunette woman that Gary and Phanpy finally got an answer they were looking for. As they would have it, the woman owned a boat not too far away where she kept a small supply of rope, exactly what Gary was looking for. All that she asked for in return was for Gary to help carry a box with her, which Gary happily obliged. With Phanpy happily trotting along with him, Gary hoisted up the box and walked alongside the woman.

“My name is Gary, by the way,” he said, introducing himself as he walked. “I’m not from around here, but I came to explore the area. However, one thing led to another, and I ended up fighting a giant Feraligatr. Not exactly what I came here for, but thanks to that, this little guy gets to stay in one piece.” Gary chuckled and looked down at the Phanpy. Wild or not, Gary was happy enough to see a smile on the Phanpy’s face.

Medlan Dia: You bask in the glory of a rescue well-executed and rewarded, and also muse about the fact that you're drenched. The kids don't seem too fussed by it, being kids, although if one had to be singled out then Angelica looked more miffed than the rest. Simon was most reluctant to take cover, but the girls hassled him, and they hid off to the side behind some trees and bushes to keep a decent view but out of attention as well. You had an audience, so best not screw up.

And screw up you did not-- but I bet you worried for a second you had. Not all of the barrage worked, but enough did to cause issues for the Clauncher. It deflected the aurora beam with its biggest pincer, which still hurt a little bit, and served as a distraction for the super fang and gust. Naturally, it retaliated with a powerful, double-dose of water gun at Nadie, but with its health fairly weakened and an infestation now catching the small being's attention, it was unable to run and obviously had a scattered mind. Lubing up the arena didn't ease getting ganged up on, apparently.

Bell and Nadie were making a great team. What do you do?

Ami hadn't quite gotten a clear look of how the lobster somehow managed to block out the strongest attack against it, but there was no denying that she wasn't too pleased with that out come, either. It didn't seem like Bell had gotten off the potential Attack drop from Aurora Beam, either, so the clauncher was almost just as healthy as it was earlier- not a good sign for the battle ahead, to say the least. She grit her teeth in annoyance, but took a bit of a deep breath- the kids were out of the way, at least. The battle shouldn't have any impact on them at this point, right?

In any case, she wasn't about to let that set-back cow her away now- Bell and Nadie were far from being out for the count, and she had a third pokemon on her as insurance, after all! "Don't get discouraged now, you two! Bell, bombard it with two Bubbles, pronto! Nadie, back them up with a swirling Gust, then smack it with a little Assurance that it can't win!"

To the uninitiated, this might seem like a bit of a bad move on her part- if the foe resisted both Bubble and Aurora Beam, then shouldn't she be going for the stronger of the two moves? But Ami knew pretty Well that the dewpider's Water Bubble Ability strengthened the power of his Water typed moves, potentially enough to neutralize the lobster's resistance. Add in the potential to reduce its clearly problematic reaction speed, and it just seems like an all-around better choice for the situation!